Refrigeration compressor with evaporation pan

ABSTRACT

Refrigeration compressor provided with a pan ( 18 ) for the evaporation of defrost water, attached to the shell ( 13 ) of the compressor by means of a profile section ( 19 ) that is applied so as to engage a through-aperture ( 22 ) provided in the body of the pan. The profile section ( 19 ) is adapted to get hooked on, with its V-shaped lower end portion, to one of the pipes ( 30 ) that shoot out of the compressor. The solution is simple and rational, enabling a single type of pan to be used for differently rated and, therefore, differently sized compressors.

[0001] The present invention refers to a refrigeration compressor, in particular for household-type refrigeration appliances provided with a pan for the evaporation of the defrost water of the refrigeration appliance.

[0002] Household-type refrigerators are largely known to require defrosting periodically, or cyclically, so as to allow for an efficient operation of the refrigerating circuit, while the frost that so melts into water must of course be appropriately removed from the appliance.

[0003] Compressors are since a long time now used, which are to such a purpose provided with a proper evaporation pan which is mounted on top of the shell of the compressor, and in which the defrost water is discharged from the interior of the refrigerator via an appropriate flexible tube. The heat that is generated by the compressor and transferred to the pan thereupon causes the so collected defrost water to evaporate in an automatic and effective manner.

[0004] Assembling the pan upon the compressor constitutes a technical problem that has up to now been solved with various means and methods.

[0005] The Italian utility model application no PN2000U 000023, at this same Applicant describes a refrigeration compressor provided with a moulded plastic pan that is mounted upon the shell of the compressor by means of a profile section adapted to slide in a vertical direction into a through-aperture provided in the body of the pan This profile section terminates at its lower end portion with a hook-like portion engaging the border that joins the lower body of the compressor casing with the upper shell thereof. The profile section is kept in position owing to a serrated surface thereof engaging an elastic tongue protruding from the though-aperture in the body of the pan.

[0006] The solution disclosed in the above cited utility model is certainly a convenient and effective one. However, it can be further improved In fact, the border of the compressor to which said profile section is due to hook on may be rounded off or bevelled, so that such a hook-on coupling may become unstable owing to the vibrations which it is exposed to when the compressor is operating. Furthermore, the use of a tool, albeit a simple screwdriver, is always required in order to remove the pan from the compressor.

[0007] The technical solution according to the present invention enables such drawbacks to be done away with by having the pan for the evaporation of the defrost water of the refrigerator hooked on to one of the tubes that connect the compressor to the refrigerating circuit, as well as by providing the lower end portion of the related hook-on coupling profile section with a retention tab, as recited in the appended claims.

[0008] Features and advantages of the present invention will anyway be more clearly and readily understood from the description that is given below by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0009]FIG. 1 is a perspective top view of a compressor provided with a pan according to the present invention;

[0010]FIG. 2 is a front view of a detail of the present invention.

[0011] With reference to FIG. 1, this illustrates a hermetic refrigeration compressor 10, adapted to be mounted inside a household-type refrigerator appliance (not shown) by means of two fastening brackets 11.

[0012] Such a compressor 10 is constituted, in a largely per sè known manner, by a casing 12 that is closed on top by a shell 13, wherein such a casing and such a shell are joined to each other along a protruding horizontal border 14. Connected to the casing 12 there are the pipes 15, 16 ensuring the delivery and the return of the refrigerant fluid. On the same casing there is mounted the electrical connection box 17.

[0013] Upon the shell 13 there is mounted a pan 18 for collecting and evaporating the water resulting from the defrost cycles of the refrigerator appliance, in which said water is conveyed into said pan through an appropriate tubing (not shown). The pan is substantially parallelepiped in its shape, with bevelled corners, while the bottom thereof is convex for proper compliance to the shape of the upper surface of the compressor shell 13, so as to increase the heat-exchange surface area and, as a result, the evaporation rate of the water collected in the pan.

[0014] According to the present invention, the pan 18 is made of plastic material, preferably polypropylene, and on one of the sides thereof there is provided a vertical through-aperture 22, in which a profile section 19 is capable of being slidably inserted.

[0015] Said profile section 19 has a grooved body, which shall be described in greater detail with reference to FIG. 2. The surface of the grooved body of the profile section 19 is provided with at least a serrated portion 24, which is adapted to engage an elastic tab 32 provided at the lower end portion of the through-aperture 22. The elasticity of the tab 32 is obtained by notching the lower end portion of the through-aperture 22, so as this is shown in FIG. 1. The serrated portion 24 of the profile section 19 engages a tooth (not shown) that is provided inside said tab 32.

[0016] In order to enable the profile section 19 to be released from the aperture 22, without any special tool having to be used to such a purpose, the tab 32 is so shaped as to feature an edge that is bent at right-angle towards the outside of the pan 18. In a preferred manner, the lower surface of said bent edge of the tab 32, is knurled in view of improving the prehensility thereof.

[0017] According to the present invention, the profile section 19 terminates, at the lower end portion thereof, with a hook-like portion 25 having an inner configuration in the shape of a V (FIG. 2). This particular shape enables the profile section 19 to be hooked on to a service tube 30 of the compressor (tube for filling in the refrigerant fluid). It will of course be appreciated that said profile section may also be hooked on to any of the other pipes connecting the compressor with the refrigerating circuit.

[0018] By hooking the profile section 19 in this way on to the tube 30 the result is obtained of making the pan 18 much more firmly and reliably secured to the compressor 10. It can further be readily appreciated that such a V-shape of the hook-like portion 25 is advantageous from the point of view of its adaptability in engaging tubes of different diameters. As a result, a single pan 18 provided with the hook-on arrangement 19 and 22-32 can be used for differently rated and, therefore, differently sized compressors.

[0019] The solution according to the present invention therefore improves the solution described and claimed in the former utility model application no. PN2000U 000023 filed by this same Applicant, while adding the advantages of a particular effectiveness and convenience to the inherent advantages of that solution. 

1. Refrigeration compressor, in particular for household refrigeration appliances, provided with a pan (18) for the evaporation of the refrigerator defrost water, mounted upon the shell (13) of the compressor by means of a profile section (19) that is adapted to engage, in a vertical height-adjustable position, a through-aperture (22) provided in the body of the pan, characterized in that the profile section (19) is adapted to get hooked on, with the V-shaped lower end portion (25) thereof to one of the pipes (30) that shoot out of the compressor (10), such as the service pipe (30).
 2. Refrigeration compressor according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower end portion (25) of said profile section (19) has a configuration in the shape of a V, so as to be adaptable to pipes having different diameters.
 3. Refrigeration compressor according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the profile section (19) is provided with a serrated surface (24) adapted to engage an elastic tongue (32) that is in turn provided with an inner tooth and is cut out of the lower end portion of the through-aperture (22).
 4. Refrigeration compressor according to claim 3, characterized in that the tongue (32) is provided with a protruding edge that is so bent and knurled as to improve the prehensility thereof. 